November is "Adopt a Senior Pet Month"

Back in 2005, the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and petfinder.com gave older shelter dogs a much needed public relations boost when they designated November as Adopt a Senior Pet Month. Since then, a senior-dog rescue movement has been spreading across North America. Thousands of lucky dogs are finding safe, stable homes in their later years. Our neighbors adopted 2 senior dogs a few years ago and gave them a loving home. One of them was 12 years old. Actually older dogs can be wonderful companions and have many desirable traits. They are most likely to be calmer than a puppy, and already house-trained., not to mention, they can love you just as much and sometimes even more than a puppy because they appreciate that you rescued them.

Also, a growing number of assisted-living facilities, nursing homes and other long-term-care communities are allowing live-in pets now, because the animals help banish loneliness and boredom for the residents. The assisted living community where my mother-in-law was living had an elderly Golden Retriever, Blossom, whom the residents loved....she would go and sit with them, give them kisses, and of course many of the residents would give her treats, and sit for hours telling her stories and stroking her fur.

So, if you are looking for a pet this holiday season, why not consider adopting a Senior Dog. It will make you feel good and it will make the last years of his/her life happy.

Hear are 8 reasons to adopt a Senior Pet: 

1. They are usually already house-trained
2. They are done with their teething phase
3. They are less rambunctious than puppies
4. Their size, shape and personalities are already established
5. They tend to be calm and mellow
6. They are a great fit for people with busy lifestyles
7. They still have much love, comedy and adventure to give
8. They are perfect match for the elderly

If you already have a pet, be thankful for it and appreciate their love, companionship and the countless hours of enjoyment and happiness they bring to you!

Enjoy the upcoming holidays and may you have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Tear down the walls of separation

The outcome of the election a few days ago was both surprising and historic, to say the least...It was a hard fought race and one of the most polarizing races for the American voters. The day after the election seems like half the voters were elated and the other half were upset. The message to our politicians is clear that America wants change. Now the real work begins......

As the votes were coming in and it was becoming obvious what the outcome was going to be, the world was watching and reacting as well. The Dow Jones Index dropped as much as 800 points due to the emotional reaction of investors around the world. However, by the following morning, investors had calmed down and the Index had recovered. People who are unhappy/disappointed with the election outcome, should also try to cope and move forward. Just because we did not elect a woman to the White House doesn't mean it is the end of the world, nor does it mean that women are held down. On the contrary we should look at it from the perspective that we as women DO have the opportunity to compete and run for the highest position in the land. Obviously this was not the right time.In four years another woman can run and maybe win.

What is disturbing to me is watching all the protests around our country. Our culture is in trouble, and our society seems dissfunctional. When people beat innocent bystanders, and when protester close our freeways for hours and hours, preventing commuters from get home to their families...I ask the question: what purpose do these protests serve? I understand that there is anger,disappointment and fear among many people, but violence will not fix anything. We must stop treating each other as the enemy. Our country needs to be united as one, not as fragmented groups of people, but as American people. If you live in this country you must embrace it and make it better. We must ask ourselves what contributions we can make, to make a positive difference. As President Kennedy once said: ask what you can do for your Country NOT what the Country can do for you".

My father dreamed of coming to the USA all his life and in 1970, at the age of  59, he was finally able to have his dream come true. He worked hard, he learned English and became a US citizen as soon as he was eligible, and so did all of my family.People still come to this Country for freedom and for opportunities that don't exist elsewhere. Some people chose not to see it that way, and it is sad! Some celebrities talked about leaving the country if the election went to Mr. Trump, but now they changed their minds. Why? Their behavior is disgraceful, appalling, and immoral in some cases, especially since they have achieved so much in THIS Country.

So, where do we go from here and how do we heal the wounds of our beautiful Country? One thing we can all do is pray (God does hear our prayers) that Mr. Trump, our 45th President elect, will get to work and do what is right for ALL people and that he will take the country in the right direction. As citizens we must also play a part in it and instead of fighting each other, we must join in and tear down the walls of separation, hatred and discrimination. We must rebuild America not only from the top down, but also from the bottom up.

Hidden Treasures

My husband and I like to read different things. He likes mostly self-help books, nutritional articles, how-to books, wilderness/survival/emergency preparedness books and anything with lots of details and information. I, on the other hand, like reading true crime stories, biographies, garden books with lots of colorful pictures, arts and crafts books, inspirational books, daily devotional books and everything in-between. We like sharing what we read with each other, sometimes we even read to each other! However, where we really differ is how we read. Galen likes to take his time and read slowly (the way he chews his food) and I have a tendency to speed read (the way I eat my food). But he retains more than I do. He remembers things he read weeks, months and even years ago.....while my retention is gone after I close the book, in many cases. I don't remember details and specifics. By the way, that is also true with movies. We have seen hundreds of movies over the years and I forget that I have even seen the movie, let alone what was in it!!

Unfortunately I have read the Bible the same way. Granted that some books in the Bible, such as long lists of people and their genealogies, names of Kings, or the various battles can be pretty boring. I have always skimmed thru them. However, when we speed read, we miss out on a lot of information. So, this year I decided to start from the beginning and read slowly and hi-light interesting facts. To my surprise, I found out that I have thoroughly enjoyed doing that, and have learned many new things along the way. The information was always there, but I did not see it. I am reading daily and I am one third of the way through, so I have a ways to go.

To know and understand God better we must first seek Him. I discovered that investing some extra time in reading His word is worth the effort. It is like any other relationship. When we spend more time with a person we get to know that person better. When we are in that other person's presence, if we don't rush and don't multitask, but rather give them our undivided attention  we learn more about them.

When we slow down and carve out some time to pay attention to what we are reading, we will be pleasantly surprised to find many hidden treasures. So, I hope that if you are like me, who likes to rush thru everything, just to get to the next 'task' at hand, STOP and start slowing down. You will enjoy everything more and learn and retain more things as well.
 

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven"....Matthew 5:16

It is tragic that in America millions of people struggle with hunger and homelessness, and one in five children go to bed hungry. Unfortunately, everybody doesn't have the money to support organizations who help the homeless...however, there are other ways we can help..Here are some ideas:
  

• Share God's love whenever you can---it's important for them to know, they are not alone and it will help restore their faith

• Pray for homeless and less fortunate people----they endure a lot of misery..God can use our prayers to bring many of them to Him

• Support a Mission (We support is Hope of The Valley Rescue Mission in SF Valley, CA).. you can donate money, clothing, food or other supplies. One thing I have learned for sure, is never to give cash to a homeless person, because even well intended gifts may be converted to drugs or alcohol. If the person is hungry just buy them a sandwich and a beverage and always take precautions for your safety..Some people may not be safe to interact with, (30-40% suffer from some degree of mental illness) don't take unnecessary risks.

Galen and I have always had a compassion for the homeless and in our younger years we used to go up to them and give them food and whatever else they needed, or help out serving at homeless shelters, etc...but now we support the Mission because they do a better job and they can reach a lot more people then us.. A few things we learned along the way is that we need to remember that these people are not there because they choose to be. Some unfortunate circumstances put them in that predicament..Some are recovering drug or alcohol users, some are single moms escaping violent and abusive spouses and yet others have gotten there because of loss of a job or an unforeseen disability. They come from all backgrounds, male or female, young or old, black or white. They are people just like us. Homelessness and hunger can happen to anyone. If you decide to help out at a homeless shelter here are a few things we learned over the years

1. Show people respect, be friendly and give them a sense of dignity
2. They have stories to share with us. Look them in the eye and listen, most people feel uncomfortable and they look away as if they are invisible, but they need a friendly person to listen to them
3. You may not be able to feed them all, but it will give you joy even when you can help one. We can all make a difference one person at a time
4. If you have kids, teach them to get involved in doing something good for others who are less fortunate ..usually they will love it and they will bring a lot more needed energy and enthusiasm to the project
5. These experiences will change your life and make you more grateful for what you have

 Feeding the homeless and the hungry does not only provide nourishment for those we serve, but the act of giving in itself feeds our souls and our spirits as well.

 

Hope of the Valley's vision statement (written by the founder, Ken Craft) reads: "Our vision is to tangibly demonstrate God's love to the Hungry, Homeless and Hurting of the Greater Los Angeles area by offering Hope, Hot Meals, Housing, Health Services and Healing to those in need". This is exactly what they have been working on doing for the past 5 years ..If you are interested in volunteering or helping them financially, you can contact them on 818-392-0020 or www.hopeofthevalley.org...

 

God Bless 

Happy Valentine's Day

I have a Card that Galen gave me in 2001..I would love to share it with you all......it's a fun Card


Let's Celebrate Our Love with the ABC's of Romance

• Absolutely adore each other
• Be spontaneous
• Cuddle up close and cozy
• Discover new things together
• Entice each other
• Flirt for fun
• Gaze into each other's eyes
• Have private parties for two
• Indulge each other's desires
• Joke and have fun together
• Kiss Kiss Kiss
• Love with all our hearts
• Massage away the day's tensions
• Nibble each other's earlobes
• Offer breakfast in bed
• Pretend we're long lost lovers
• Quote love poetry
• Remember the little things
• Slow dance by candlelight
• Take time for tenderness
• Uncover our deepest feelings
• Vow our eternal love
• Watch the sunrise together
• Xplore our romantic dreams 
• Yearn for each other's touch
• Z-zzzzzz in each other's arms

There you have it..........I hope you will practice some or all of these ABC's together...but regardless of what you end up doing, make it a Special Day for you and your loved ones!

 

Cruise-Control Marriages

As we approach "Valentines Day", I thought of  the wedding Galen and I were invited to a couple of months ago, and it was beautiful..We had not been at a wedding for a few years and it was refreshing to see the love, joy and happiness among all the people at the church and at the reception. I can't help myself get teary eyed when the bride enters the church and goes down the isle, to meet her groom and be 'united 'as one. I cannot explain it, but I can't hold back my tears...it just happens.

When people get married their lives change. They no longer do things on their own, they have to consider the other person. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and cultures, and there is an adjustment we need to make. All relationships start off happy, but they all require hard work. In all relationships we seek to know and understand the other person, and try to please them. What we need to remember though is that we must  nurture the relationship from the first day to the last day of our lives.

Marriages cannot be sustained  in a healthy way, let alone grow, if --as couples-- we set them on 'cruise control'.  Anytime we meet people who have been married for a long time, Galen asks them: What is your secret? Well, everyone has different answers, different things work for different people, but there are some principles that always come up. For example: good communication between the two parties, respect, trust, safety and security...will you be there for me, and can I count on you?

I was reading an article which mentions the fact that without realizing it, sometime we all put our marriage on 'cruise control'. The belief is that the relationship is good if there are no pressing issues. If there are no major concerns to address, then all the attention can be directed towards other things, such as children, work, friends and fun! However, the danger of this is that it opens the door to disconnection between the spouses.
This 'disconnection' may not be felt immediately, but in time the marriage may begin to show signs of distress, same way as a plant that is not watered does not show its distress immediately, but over time it will show up in the leaves and flowers. The article mentions that the distress in marriages will show in ways such as:

• irritability
• sarcasm
• complaining
• withdrawing
• nagging

These behaviors show up in statements and questions such as: 

• what's wrong with you?
• Stop already, all you do is complain
• You are never around anymore
• Give me a break! stop hounding me about everything!

and the list goes on and on...These comments are because of our frustration, pain and fear of being neglected, abandoned or isolated.... not because we don't love the other person. Have you been there? We all have been there one time or another.. But the article also suggests that  there is a kinder and better way to address some of these issues. We can say:

• I've noticed you've been a little irritable lately. Please tell me what is going on
• That comment was very hurtful. Is everything OK?
• You seem to have a lot of things on your mind. Is there anything I can do to help?
• I feel like we have been drifting apart. Can we take some time to talk about it?

You get the idea...........

Marriage is like a dance, we learn to synchronize our steps with our spouse's, and it takes practice and working on it daily. So, whenever we can, we need to offer encouragement, listen and understand each other, cultivate a spirit of gratitude of all the blessings we rather than all the problems we have, and we need to spend time together....alone.....take an interest in each others activities, if possible, and enjoy the time together. God put us together for a reason. So, let's not put our marriages on 'cruise control', but instead let us intentionally, daily, nurture our marriages so that there will be no limit to the joy, peace and intimacy we can experience and feel for each other!

One good book to read is 'The Five Love Languages' by Gary Chapman

and........as one comedian puts it.....Happy Wife, Happy Life.................

 

six short stories

Wishing that 2016 is going to be your best year ever!

Here are 6 short stories:

1) In a small village, the villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella.......That's FAITH

2) When you throw a baby in the air, she laughs because she knows you will catch her....That's TRUST

3) Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, and yet, we set the alarm to wake up......That's HOPE

4) We plan the big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future....That's CONFIDENCE

5) We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children...That's LOVE

6) On an old man's shirt was written a sentence: I am not 80 years old...I am sweet sixteen with 64 years experience....That's ATTITUDE


Life is not a dress rehearsal. We cannot go back and do it again...but today, we can all start fresh with a new beginning and make a new ending!

May you have a HAPPY DAY, A HAPPY YEAR AND A HAPPY LIFE!